Wednesday, January 09, 2013

Why Brian Burke in Columbus Makes Sense

Reportedly, the Toronto Maple Leafs fired their GM Brian Burke. It was reported by Bob McKenzie and seconded by Nick Kypreos, two men who are not only in-tune the Toronto media, but hockey media overall. While the timing of this is very odd and the reports of why it happened is unknown....this is something that many owners should look at if they are unhappy with their GM.

The Burke name brings along a sense of attention, a sense of belonging, and a sense of change. There's one place that needs it the most and a place where I think Burke would thrive in with basically carte blanche-- Columbus.

Scott Howson has been a bit of a wreck for the Blue Jackets and the change of culture in Columbus with John Davidson coming into the fold could mean that Howson's days are numbered, especially after dealing their franchise player over the summer. Davidson and Burke are two powerful hockey guys and while they may have differences of opinion at times-- they both want to win and would do a lot in order to do so.

In a market like Columbus that could use a nice shot in the arm when it comes to loving professional hockey again, Brian Burke can create that. He'd be able to have some buzz around the team, get some players to come in and play for him, and put the right people in place in order to actually make it a great market. Plus, Burke has an idea of what to do in Ohio, as he late son Brendan attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Should Burke decide to wait it out until a better job comes along, TV would be the best bet for him. He doesn't have the big energy as some other personalities, his dry delivery and no-nonsense persona will make him a TV darling. He has done it once before at TSN when he was out of a job and the fans seemed to enjoy his take and the way he handle things when the camera was on him. His history from being in and out of the game is invaluable.

Whatever Burke chooses is something that people will keep an eye on and give attention to when he makes a decision one way or another. He's a persona the game cannot afford to let out of the limelight, especially not now.